Merger intimacy status in adult women.

Developed an intimacy interview and a rating system that allowed the reliable classification of 40 25–35 yr old women in 6 intimacy statuses. The interview/rating system included 2 new statuses: committed and uncommitted merger. The intimacy status interview and rating system, the Objective Measure of Ego-Identity Status (OMEIS), and 3 subscales from the Personality Research Form (PRF) were administered to Ss. It was predicted that merger Ss would score lower than Ss in other statuses on the Autonomy and Dominance and higher on the Succorance scales of the PRF. Results show that intimacy status was related to OMEIS scores. Most (7 of 9) committed merger Ss scored as identity diffuse or foreclosed. Nine uncommitted merger Ss scored as identity diffuse or moratorium. Ss in the moratorium category had strong religious involvement. Merger Ss had significantly higher scores on the Succorance scale of the PRF. Results are discussed in the context of childhood processes of attachment and separation. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intimacy and identity status in young adults.

Intimacy status in 48 men and 44 women (aged 21–35 yrs) was investigated in relation to ego-identity status in occupation, religion, politics, and sex role. All Ss were college educated, and most were employed in professional or skilled occupations. An intimacy status measure developed by J. L. Orlofsky et al (1973) was modified for use with adults and expanded by the addition of the merger status, describing relationships in which one partner dominated the other. There were no significant sex differences in intimacy or identity status; and as predicted by E. H. Erikson's (1963) theory, intimacy status was generally related to identity status. This relationship was not observed for occupational identity in either sex. It is suggested that Erikson's theory regarding the pattern of identity and intimacy resolutions may be extended from men to women, at least for the type of sample studied in the present investigation. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Separation-individuation and intimacy capacity in college women.

Investigated the hypothesis that intimacy capacity in young adulthood is dependent on satisfactory resolution of separation-individuation issues. Intimacy capacity and separation-individuation were rated for 89 college women, using an intimacy interview developed by the 2nd author et al (see record 1974-03199-001) and the Separation Anxiety Test. Only 17.6% of Ss displayed a high capacity for intimacy. As predicted, merger and low-intimacy-status Ss demonstrated more disorders of separation-individuation than high-intimacy-status Ss. In relation to this latter group, merger and low-intimacy Ss displayed a significantly lower capacity for individuation and self-reliance, a higher need to defend against the reality or impact of separation, and a greater tendency toward depression in the face of separation from and loss of attachment figures. Results support the hypothesis. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of expressive writing in ego identity formation.

Conducted 2 studies with 114 college students to assess the relationship between expressive writing and ego identity development. In both studies, poetry writers were more likely than students not writing poetry to be in the identity achievement status. Poetry writers were less frequently found in the foreclosure status (Study 1) and identity diffusion status (Study 2). No differences in identity development were found between students keeping personal journals and those who had not kept journals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interlaboratory comparison of the assessment of P450 activities in human hepatic microsomal samples

The present study had 3 goals: (a) to provide a preliminary investigation of the dimensions involved in the capacity for intimacy toward the best friend and the sexual partner during adolescence; (b) to determine whether the specific areas of the capacity for intimacy toward the best friend are the same as toward the sexual partner; and (c) to consider the usefulness of conceiving the capacity for intimacy as a multidimensional concept. Canadian high school students (N = 465; 257 girls, 208 boys) completed a questionnaire on the capacity for intimacy, best friend version; 232 of them completed the partner version of the questionnaire. Factorial analysis on the best friend version of the questionnaire identified 3 factors: Social Intimacy, Positive Intimacy, and Negative Intimacy. Factorial analysis on the partner version of the questionnaire identified 4 factors: Social Intimacy, Positive Intimacy, Negative Intimacy, and Sexual Intimacy.     

Ego identity and intimacy status: Replication and extension.

Previous research has supported E. Erikson's (1968) theoretical proposition that advanced identity formation is associated with greater interpersonal intimacy. However, these studies have been criticized for using cross-sectional methods and/or male Ss exclusively. In this study, 28 male and 50 female undergraduates were randomly selected as participants in a 1-yr longitudinal project to assess the identity–intimacy relationship. An ego-identity interview and an intimacy interview were administered to measure Ss' statuses on the 2 psychosocial constructs. Data indicate that identity formation maintained a trend for time-lagged and concurrent associations with intimacy development. Occupational identity for males and religious identity for females were the most salient factors contributing to advanced intimacy status. The importance of sex differences in determining the specificity of the identity–intimacy relationship is discussed. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation between ego identity statuses and decision-making styles.

We examined the proposition that individual variations in career decision making are related conceptually to the identity formation process of late adolescence. To investigate this proposition 2 studies were conducted to identify the relations between ego identity statuses and decision-making styles. The findings suggested that persons who have achieved a stable identity tend to use rational and systematic decision-making strategies. Those whose identity status is foreclosed tend to rely on dependent strategies and do not endorse systematic and internal strategies. Persons in the diffusion status tend to rely on intuitive and dependent styles or exhibit an absence of systematic and internal styles. The moratorium status was not consistently associated with variations in decision-making styles. We relate the results to previous theory and to implications for practice and research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Girlfriend, boyfriend: Age and sex differences in intimate friendship.

Investigated changes in intimate friendship with same- and opposite-sex friends in preadolescence and adolescence, using the Intimacy Scale. Ss were Israeli children from the 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th grades (60 boys and 60 girls from each grade), who rated their friendship with a same- or opposite-sex best friend. There was a significant age difference in overall intimacy with same-sex friends. Frankness and spontaneity, knowing and sensitivity, attachment, exclusiveness, and giving and sharing were factors that changed with age. Trust and loyalty, and taking and imposing did not. Opposite-sex friendship revealed a significant increase in intimacy with age. Boys and girls did not differ in reported opposite-sex friendship in the 5th and 7th grades, whereas girls in the 9th and 11th grades reported higher intimacy than did boys. This sex-by-age pattern of interaction was particularly evident for attachment and for trust and loyalty. Girls were higher in knowing and sensitivity, giving and sharing, and taking and imposing. The implications for further differentiation among types of peer relations and interrelation of dyadic friendship and cognitive growth are discussed. (42 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ego identity status, adjustment, and academic achievement.

81 male undergraduates were interviewed to determine their identity-status, were administered the Zuckerman Mood Affect Adjective Checklist (MAACL), and their GPAs and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores were obtained. Analyses of variance showed: (a) no differences between groups on MAACL subscales of identity, depression, and anxiety; (b) that SAT scores were not associated with identity status; and (c) that the relationship between identity achievement and GPA is strong. It is concluded that identity status and college performance cannot be attributed to differences in adjustment, and that college students who have achieved a strong identity perform better, are more task-oriented, and their work is more meaningful to them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations between identity in young adulthood and intimacy at midlife.

A longitudinal study with 67 males and 75 females examined the relation between the development of ego identity by young adulthood and the establishment and maintenance of stable and enduring intimate interpersonal relationships by midlife. This relation was investigated further to discover how it might differ between men and women. As undergraduates, Ss completed measures of their demographic and psychometric characteristics, in addition to an identity scale, in 1963; in 1981, these Ss completed a follow-up questionnaire containing questions regarding their marital status (the measure of intimacy) and their personal, family, and professional life. The identity scale was initially cross-validated with other personality measures, such as the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), before being related to subsequent intimacy patterns. The achievement of ego identity was found to be important for the establishment (for men) and stability (for women) of marital relationships. Additional sex differences in happiness and spheres of life satisfaction were also found. These differences suggest differing developmental courses for young men and women as they establish themselves in the adult world. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived equity and intimacy in marriage

The extent to which perceived inequity is related to perceived marital intimacy was examined. Sixty-six couples married five years or less were randomly selected from marriage license records in a western rural community. Equity/inequity was assessed using the Walster global measure of equity. Levels of overall intimacy, conflict resolution, affection, cohesion, sexuality, identity, compatibility, autonomy, and expressiveness were measured using the Waring Intimacy Questionnaire (WIQ). Inequity was associated with lower levels of overall intimacy, compatibility, identity, and expressiveness among the wives. Among the husbands, inequity was not associated with any types of intimacy. When comparing husbands in inequitable relationships to wives in inequitable relationships, the wives reported lower scores for only one kind of intimacy--identity. Explanations and implications for marriage therapy are discussed.     

Identity and fear of success.

Investigated the relation between ego identity and fear of success in 53 female and 49 male college students (aged 21–41 yrs). Two measures of identity were used—the Ego Identity Scale (EIS) was administered to all 102 Ss, and J. E. Marcia's (see record 1966-07584-001) interview for identity status was administered to 44 of the 102 Ss. All Ss also completed a people-knowing questionnaire (PKQ), used to measure fear of success, and an occupational questionnaire designed to gather information concerning work-related behaviors and attitudes. A significant correlation was observed between EIS and PKQ scores. Those classified as identity achieved and foreclosed were found to have lower PKQ scores than those classified as moratorium and diffusion. Significant correlations of PKQ and identity scores with the work-related items were also observed. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological predictors of young adults' drinking behaviors.

Path analyses using data from 72 men and 78 women between 22 and 32 years of age compared two models linking personality (conflict resolution styles, intimacy maturity, and occupational identity status) and social roles (family and work status) to young adults' alcohol use. Poor conflict resolution skills and less adult work statuses best accounted for men's excessive drinking, and problems with intimacy best accounted for women's use of alcohol to alleviate emotional distress. In addition, poor conflict resolution skills partly mediated the effects of parents' drinking on sons' alcohol consumption. Occupational identity status and intimacy maturity correlated with men's use of drugs rather than men's alcohol use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship of homophobia to intimacy in heterosexual men

Interpersonal intimacy is more difficult to achieve for American men than women. Research has shown that men disclose less, have fewer close friendships, and are viewed by their wives as low in intimacy. Among the barriers to intimacy among men, Tognoli (1980) suggested that homophobia is the most powerful. The present study tested this idea by asking men to disclose a personal secret to either a male confidant, a female confidante, or by writing the secret. It was expected that the presence of a male confidant would stimulate homophobic feelings and inhibit disclosure, while the other two conditions would result in more personal disclosure. A correlation between intimacy of disclosure and level of homophobia was also expected. Subjects were 75 heterosexual men, 31 to 50 years of age, randomly assigned to one of the three conditions. They also completed the Miller Social Intimacy Scale, the Jourard Self-Disclosure Questionnaire, the Index of Homophobia, and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Results showed that homophobia was inversely related to level of social intimacy. There was some indication that homophobia does relate to less intimate disclosure to other males. Thus this study found some support for the idea that homophobia is an obstacle to intimacy for men.     

Examining racial identity statuses as predictors of psychological defenses in African American college students.

The authors examined the relationship between racial identity statuses and the use of psychological defenses in 80 African American college students who completed the Black Racial Identity Attitude Scale (J. E. Helms & T. A. Parham, 1996), Defense Mechanism Inventory (G. C. Gleser & D. Ihilevich, 1969), and the Defense Style Questionnaire—40 (G. Andrews, M. Singh, & M. Bond, 1993). The canonical analysis indicated that pre-encounter and encounter ego statuses were positively related to neurotic psychological defenses as well as defenses of principalization and reversal. The immersion ego status was positively related to immature psychological defenses as well as turning against object and projection. The emersion ego status was positively related to mature psychological defenses as well as turning against object and projection. The authors believe these results provide additional support for J. E. Helms's (1995) racial identity model, because racial identity ego statuses predicted how African Americans managed painful affect. The discussion also focuses on implications of these results for counseling and future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Change and consistency in social participation during early adulthood.

Reports a longitudinal study of the social interaction patterns of college students and adults. 113 adults (aged 26–31 yrs old) who had participated in similar studies in college kept detailed records of social activity for 2 wks. Three hypotheses were supported. First, from college to adulthood, opposite-sex socializing grew, whereas same-sex, mixed-sex, and group interactions decreased. Second, intimacy increased in adulthood, whereas satisfaction did not. Contrary to theories that focus on the formation of primary intimate relationships in early adulthood, intimacy increased in all interaction categories. Sex differences in the development of intimacy were also noted. Third, correlations revealed marked consistency over time in several variables. Implications of these findings for social development during early adulthood were examined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality structure as viewed through early memories and identity status in college men and women.

Early memories were obtained from 98 undergraduates in the 4 identity status categories and rated for psychosocial maturity in order to replicate an earlier study by R. L. Josselson (see record 1983-23229-001) with college women. In a result that was consistent with those of that earlier study and other studies in which deeper aspects of personality development that underlie identity formation were assessed, identity-achievement and moratorium Ss exhibited more developmentally advanced concerns in their early memories than did foreclosure and identity-diffusion Ss. In another result that was consistent with the interpretation that identity achievement often involves a rapprochement between needs for the relatedness and individuation, identity-achievement Ss of both sexes were found to blend secondary, less mature themes involving nurturance and security with the more mature themes of mastery, competition, and independent activity that were primary in their early memories. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Basic need satisfaction and identity formation: Bridging self-determination theory and process-oriented identity research.

The fulfillment of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness as postulated within self-determination theory was hypothesized to play an energizing role in identity formation, conceptualized as multiple dimensions of exploration and commitment. Two studies among high school and college students (N = 714) were conducted to investigate (a) the cross-sectional relationships between need satisfaction and the identity dimensions and (b) the direction of effects using cross-lagged analyses. Three competing longitudinal models were tested: a need satisfaction main-effects model, an identity main-effects model, and a reciprocal effects model. All 3 needs had meaningful relationships with the identity dimensions, and, although there was a predominance of paths from the needs to the identity dimensions, the reciprocal effects model received most support. Further, identity statuses (representing multivariate combinations of the identity dimensions) were meaningfully related to satisfaction of the 3 needs, with identity achievement scoring highest on all 3 indices of need satisfaction. Suggestions for future research and counseling implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Female adolescents' identity development: Age comparisons and perceived child-rearing experience.

82 females from 10th, 11th, and 12th grades in a rural high school provided responses on identity status development (diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, and identity achievement status) and perceived parental socialization styles using the Objective Measure of Ego-Identity Status Scales and a questionnaire on parental socialization. Psychometric reevaluation of the identity status instrument (originally normed with older adolescents) and the perceived childrearing items indicated appropriateness with middle-adolescent-female samples. Age difference comparisons show that although the onset of a foreclosed status may begin during the high school years, middle adolescence is not a period of dramatic age differences. The relationship between socialization styles and identity status comparisons reveals evidence for perceived socialization practices by mothers and fathers that significantly differentiate the identity status groups. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Life's little (and big) lessons: Identity statuses and meaning-making in the turning point narratives of emerging adults.

A longitudinal study examined relations between 2 approaches to identity development: the identity status model and the narrative life story model. Turning point narratives were collected from emerging adults at age 23 years. Identity statuses were collected at several points across adolescence and emerging adulthood, as were measures of generativity and optimism. Narratives were coded for the sophistication of meaning-making reported, the event type in the narrative, and the emotional tone of the narrative. Meaning-making was defined as connecting the turning point to some aspect of or understanding of oneself. Results showed that less sophisticated meaning was associated particularly with the less advanced diffusion and foreclosure statuses, and that more sophisticated meaning was associated with an overall identity maturity index. Meaning was also positively associated with generativity and optimism at age 23, with stories focused on mortality experiences, and with a redemptive story sequence. Meaning was negatively associated with achievement stories. Results are discussed in terms of the similarities and differences in the 2 approaches to identity development and the elaboration of meaning-making as an important component of narrative identity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)